


References

by radishleaf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Awkward Crush, Fluff, Humor, I'm Sorry, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, also despite what the summary may imply this is incredibly tame, at least a haphazard attempt at humor lol, but i'll admit this was fun to write lol, severin is the epitome of secondhand embarrassment, there is no sexual content in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27383191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radishleaf/pseuds/radishleaf
Summary: Severin sought Ezra's impressive library for references, but found himself referencing something else...
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	References

**Author's Note:**

> OH MY GOD, I FINALLY WROTE SOMETHING FOR MY OCTP..........
> 
> ngl there's A LOT OF history between these two, but all of it has been percolating in my brain meat instead of being made into reality. like, i can't even reference something ambiguously (such as their academy days) without going on a tirade irl. admittedly, this makes them sorta hard to write for, so please take this for now--
> 
> as always, kindly disregard any grammatical errors, punctuation mistakes, and the like. i tried to be thorough. enjooooy.

The pages felt heavy in his hand with each flip; the unknown glaze to protect the pages waxy against each brush of his fingers. It was unlike any tome Severin had ever seen, let alone touched; it’s careful prep could only mean one thing: It was ancient, most likely one-of-a-kind, and expensive as hell. It wouldn’t have surprised him if Ezra spent a fortune on it—when it came to the man’s pursuits, money was never a factor.

Though even Severin could see _why_ he was willing to shell out so much for the book: The runic circles in it were archaic—older than the tome itself—but intricately rendered as if drawn by the original magic user’s hand. Such circles were never referenced, let alone alluded to, in contemporary education, so by those standards, the council likely had it listed as contraband. But for those obsessed with magic—such as one Ezra Locke—it was a trove of untapped knowledge he was willing to delve into, looming threats be damned.

Even though Severin didn’t share in Ezra’s all-consuming need for knowledge, the opportunity set before him was golden; rarely, if ever, were average magic users in his line of work granted liberty to such a vast array of resources and references. However, the man found himself thoroughly distracted, for as much as he wanted to study the magic circles within the tome, he caught himself studying something _else_.

Severin always found Ezra had a handsome face, but just as he admired the front, so did he admire the back—especially as it swung pendulum-like before him, hypnotizing him with insufferable delight. He was staring (how could he not when it came to such a shapely derriere?), but it was respectfully, thank you very much. Ezra was a sight for his sore eyes, especially after hours of combing through heavy material for an answer that seemed to evade him.

Severin was broken from his stupor when Ezra turned to him, proffering a heavy tome that bent his hand at the wrist. “I also recommend this one,” he said over his shoulder. “Its material is thick, but if you skim chapters three or four, you might find your answer.”

The corner of Severin’s mouth hooked down in a small frown. He didn’t want to deny another recommendation from Ezra, but considering the towering stack on his right that dared to make the legs of the table bend, he thought he had enough. Catching his expression, Ezra looked taken aback, making Severin choke. For a moment, he thought Ezra had caught him looking, and he messily put together an apology in his head.

However, the man gave a nod, and said, “You’re right. This isn’t enough, is it? Was there another book that caught your attention?”

“ _Ah_.” The note left Severin’s throat more as a croak rather than a sign of recognition. It caused Ezra to quirk a brow, but the blond quickly recovered with, “Y-yes! Yes, there is! Uh…” Severin’s eyes roamed over the shelves before he indicated a book at random. “That one, please?”

Ezra nodded to him and bent at the waist, making Severin’s mouth go dry. It was completely unexpected, but warranted, considering he indicated a book on one of the lower shelves. Unfortunately, he was also a thirsty son of a bitch, so when Ezra’s fingertip wiggled between the eaves to ease the book out, Severin stopped him.

“Not that book, Ezra,” he said, motioning to the penultimate shelf on the bookcase. “That one, there—the one with the burgundy binding. That’s the one I want.”

“Oh, my apologies,” Ezra returned, squatting low.

Severin felt his blood boil out his ears when Ezra’s slacks seemed to hug even nook and cranny of his behind. It was a damn good sight, making Severin mentally thank the gods a thousand times for letting him be birthed to experience such a moment.

When Ezra retrieved the book, he blinked, and turned the corner over to Severin. “Are… you sure this book will be of help to you?” he asked.

“O-oh, yes! Yes, I do think it will be helpful. Very helpful,” Severin said.

“Ah, well…”

“Y-yes?”

“I just don’t see how a book titled, _Runic Circles for Food Preservation_ , might be useful for a case regarding wind magic.”

“Oh! T-that was a mistake, ahaha… ha,” Severin said, his sheepish laugh tapering off to an awkward beat. “I thought it was a book I recognized, but I was wrong. Just, ah, bring along the book you picked out before, then help me look through all of these, all right?”

Ezra inclined his head, replaced the book back on the shelf, and took the seat adjacent to Severin after pulling the first off the stack. Though now quite shorter (the first was as thick as a brick), Severin still feared it might sway in his favor and bury him under a pile of invaluable knowledge. The only concession would be he’d died in the home of the man he loved (which, by all accounts, would make it worth it).

To quell his fears some, he continued to comb through the book open before him again, but as before, searching answers proved a fruitless endeavor now that Ezra was near him. Never mind his burgeoning feelings, the man himself served the biggest distraction of all.

He remained the same ever since their academy days: Mind completely absorbed in whatever book captured his attention. It was a sight it an off itself, even if Severin could only eye him from the side; the slight furrow of his brow, the narrowing of his eyes, and the pursing of his lips reflected a boyish look he never grew out of. It made Severin feel nostalgic, a moment out of memory, when they sat in the library of Magnolia Academy the same way—books spread out about them in a study secluded to themselves—puzzling out an answer to an irrevocably challenging question. It made his heart ache for those faraway days when time and distance hadn’t driven a wedge between them.

Severin snapped from his stupor when Ezra cocked his head at him. “Severin?” he said. “Is something the matter?”

Once again, he blinked frantically, and shook his head with the same swiftness. “Huh? O-oh, no! No, nothing’s the matter… Why?”

“Well…” Ezra shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to bring it up before out of modesty, but… You’ve been distracted lately. I’m…” His dark eyes shifted to the side, unable to hold the blond’s any longer. “I’m… concerned…”

“C-concerned?”

Severin’s jaw almost hit the tabletop. Their relationship hadn’t reached the amicability of friendship yet, but it was definitely at a point of comfortability where Severin could enter his home without argument (which was more of a big step for him rather Ezra, considering he had to fight off years of pent-up teenage feelings to gain the courage for). However, for them to have reached a level where Ezra was _concerned_ for him—actually expressing something _for_ him _to_ him—almost had Severin wondering if the Ezra he knew was cloned and replaced with an equally handsome replica.

Before his mind ventured into strange territory—and he lost this moment of vulnerability for good—Severin shot to his feet and slammed his palms against the table, making both the stack of books and Ezra jump. Voice cracking, he cried, “I-I’m fine! I’m absolutely, positively fine! Y-you needn’t worry about me, Ezra! Really!”

Taken aback, Ezra’s expression fell as he slowly nodded his head. “Ah, o-okay,” he said. “Good to, ah, good to know, Severin. That brings some peace of mind.”

After another awkward beat passed, Severin realized he’d been hovering over Ezra, and carefully lowered himself back to his seat (which he almost missed after having realized he threw it back a few inches in his launch). The silence that settled over the two of them felt as heavy as a quilt, especially for Severin who had caused it. He wanted nothing more than to dunk his head in a mud patch and keep it there for a while—preferably forever.

Once again, it was Ezra who spoke up, but he chose his words carefully as if to avoid having Severin overreact. “There is… nothing wrong, correct?” he asked tentatively.

Severin’s lips parted to immediately protest anxiously, but he took a breath, and replied, “No… Nothing is wrong. Do you think… there is something wrong?”

Dark eyes flicked up to him, pinning Severin to the spot reflexively. “You just seem… jumpy. Have been since I invited you here.” Ezra averted his eyes again. “Is it something about _me_ that is bothering you?”

Severin’s jaw dropped, but he quickly collected his bearings and replied, “You’re not a problem, Ezra. You’re… the furthest from a problem. I promise. This is all me.”

Ezra released a small sigh. “I see. I’m… glad.”

He gave Severin a small smile, and for the first since time immemorial, the blond almost felt his heart launch out of his chest. Thanks to careful self-control (in other words, mentally rebuking himself until he felt like he drowned out the need to cheer and whoop in victory), Severin managed to quash his desire to kiss Ezra then and there to a simple heating of the cheeks.

“S-so am I,” Severin returned. “Apologies for, um, worrying you. Since I had.”

Ezra shook a dismissive hand. “It’s quite all right, Severin.”

“Right… Then, um, shall we continue? I didn’t mean to distract us from our task for this long, aha…”

Ezra dipped his head. “Yes, let’s.”

With that, the two’s heads dropped back to their tomes, both getting absorbed in their own studying. However, it _should’ve_ been two, but Severin still found himself captured by the handsome man beside him. His leg jumped restlessly under the table, seemingly having taken on a life of its own.

 _Gods above, this is going to be harder than I thought_ , he mentally chagrinned, regretting even accepting the invitation to Ezra’s in the first place. _If this continues, I doubt I’ll make it out of here alive!_


End file.
